Wednesday, February 25, 2015

e2 emeril’s eatery and e2GO will close April 26, the company announced this morning. "It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of e2 emeril’s eatery,” chef Emeril Lagasse, owner and executive chef of the restaurant, says in a statement. The concept, at 135 Levine Avenue of the Arts, opened in 2012 and was a departure for the celebrity chef, who was one of the first Food Network stars (catchphrase: "Bam!") and first came to prominence with his New Orleans restaurants and food from that region. He eventually branched out to everything from burgers to steakhouses, in places from Bethlehem, Pa., to Las Vegas. Here, the menu was eclectic.

The Week quoted him in September as saying: "I have nowhere to go, really — other than broke" at an event to promote a TNT reality series, saying the industry was becoming increasingly difficult. The show's website seems to be not functional, and its Facebook page hasn't been posted to since December.

The Charlotte restaurant announced its closing on both its Twitter account ("The restaurant was never able to achieve the volume projected when we came to Charlotte" and its Facebook page.

Look for Piedmont Social House to open in the Ayrsley area this spring, if all goes according to the plans of New Forum Inc., one of the area's developers. Described as "a restaurant/entertainment venue," it's slated to have "a modern menu influenced by traditional Southern flavors," along with bowling, darts, billiards, ping pong, corn hole, shuffleboard, bocce ball and more. It'll also be huge: 21,000 square feet of indoor space, plus a 5,000-square-foot patio. 2135 Ayrsley Town Blvd.

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery will release the seasonal Früh Bock (say froo bock) Feb. 27, and since its name means "early" in German (and is short for Frühling, which means "spring"), maybe warm weather will immediately ensure. The brew is described as malty sweet with almost citrusy notes, and is 6 percent alcohol by volume (its Copper is 4.8).

Also coming up at OMB: a St. Patrick's Day party March 14, a sixth-anniversary celebration March 28 and a Louisiana Spring Crawfish Boil April 18.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge will offer "Downton Abbey Tea" from 1 to 5 p.m. March 11-14, with "Countess of Grantham’s favourite tea savouries and sweets." You can opt out of the actual tea part and opt into Spanish sherry for $8, or Brandy Alexanders for $10. And you can also dress up: The hotel says "Attendees are encouraged to dress in 1920-1930s period clothing." $36 ($18 for "junior patrons" 5-12); reservations required: 704-248-4100.

Also coming up: Irish Whiskey specials for St. Patrick’s Day at the hotel's Gallery restaurant.

The James Beard Foundation announced semifinalists for its restaurant and chef awards, the 25th anniversary edition of those recognitions. It adds a new one this year, Outstanding Baker, and the Carolinas placed three people in that national list of 25: Phoebe Lawless of Scratch Bakery in Durham; Lionel Vatinet of La Farm in Cary; and Lauren Mitterer of Wildflour Pastry in Charleston.

Also making the first cut:
Sean Brock of Husk in Charleston in the Outstanding Chef lineup.Edmund’s Oast in Charleston in Best New Restaurant.Hominy Grill in Charleston in Outstanding Restaurant.Charleston Grill in Outstanding Service.
Both FIG and McCrady's in Charleston in Outstanding Wine Program.
Ari Kolender of Leon's Oyster Shop in Charleston in Rising Star Chef.

Semifinalists in the 21 categories come from a list of more than 34,000 online entries (it's an open call). A committee then reviews the list and chooses semifinalists. That list goes to a volunteer panel of 600 judges across the country, which picks both the finalists (five in each category) and the winner. Finalists will be named March 24 and winners May 4 at an event in Chicago.
More info: www.jamesbeard.org.

D'Vine Wine Cafe resumes its wine education series on Feb. 26 with Craig Strange and wines from Santa Barbara County wineries Dierberg, Three Saints and Star Lane. Strange will talk about pairing wines and food, and five wines will be paired with five courses. $30; reservations: 704-369-5050. 14815 John J. Delaney Drive.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

"Shuck 'n Awe" is the title of the third annual Winter Fling at the historic VanLandingham Estate (above): It's an oyster roast Feb. 21, held in partnership with the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association. Dinner (roasted oysters, shrimp, red rice and collards) will be served 7-9 p.m., and there'll be a silent auction fundraiser, cash bar, door prizes, dancing and live music. $30 ($25 for PMNA members who buy in advance); 2010 The Plaza. Information and tickets at www.plazamidwood.org/fling; www.vanlandinghamestate.com; 704-376-3357.

Duckworth's Taproom is opening in the three-level space where Fox & Hound was on Tryon Street uptown (330 N. Tryon, to be exact); Rob Duckworth expects to open March 2. www.duckworthsgrillandbar.com.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar will compete in the 2015 Amstel Light Burger Bash Feb. 20, hoping to win the People's Choice Award. Thirty burger chefs will vie in the competition, part of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami, hosted by Rachael Ray. Bad Daddy founder Frank Scibelli worked with his corporate chef, Tim Kast, and Kast's team to create something called The Bash Daddy: a burger made of short rib, brisket and chuck, with Raclette and Comte cheeses, onions caramelized with Amstel and bacon, and housemade mustard aioli, on a potato bun. Bad Daddy's was chosen to compete by ground-beef purveyor Schweid & Sons. www.baddaddysburgerbar.com.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Foxcroft Wine Co., a wine shop and wine bar, plans a second location in Dilworth, and hopes to open in June or July, says owner Conrad Hunter.

Foxcroft (which used to be called the Wine Shop at Foxcroft) opened in 2004 at 7824 Fairview Road. Its second site will go into a remodeled space in the Kenilworth Commons shopping center on East Boulevard, Hunter says, with design by Eric Boyd and Tom Long from Reaching Quiet Design (which has done Stagioni, 5Church, Nikko's and more), and the architect is Brian Conroy of Citizen Design.

Hunter says he'll keep the format and feel of the SouthPark original, with room for about 9,000 bottles for retail.

Chef Justin Solomon's menu will remain a blend of New American and comfort food (as at the original), but this will add a wood-fired brick oven, and some dishes Solomon did in his time in the Pacific Northwest and at Customshop in Charlotte. There'll also be about 40 wines by the glass. www.thewineshopatfoxcroft.com

For the second year, Olive Garden hosts "Parents' Night Out": This year, it's Feb. 20. The restaurant chain has arranged with the My Gym children's fitness chain for about 30 kids per location to be there while parents dine. Parents must contact the My Gym locations to get details and reserve (there's a deposit required). Two Charlotte My Gyms are participating, the ones at 5110 Park Road and at 9852 Rea Road; click on the link for details. The four-course "Festa Italiana" meal starts at $12.99 and includes choices of soup or salad, small plate, entree and mini dessert (shown above; photo from Olive Garden's website).

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Queen City Q plans to open a second location, at Plantation Market Shopping Center in Matthews, in early summer. The original opened in uptown nearly three years ago, and began selling barbecue at the Knights' ballpark last season. The new location will seat about 120, including space on a covered patio. Queen City Q smokes pork, brisket, ribs, chicken and sausage. (Photo from its website: www.queencityq.com.)

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Raffaldini Vineyards, in Ronda, features a rescue dog on the label of its Pino Vino each year, and the search is on for Pino Vino VII's. Part of the proceeds benefit animal rescue organizations, says vineyard owner Jay Raffaldini. The new wine, a red, will be unveiled June 13, and entries close April 30. Send a digital photo of your rescue dog to pinovino@raffaldini.com, and include your name and contact information, the dog’s name and its rescue story in 50 words or fewer. The winner will be notified May 8. Last year's winner was Munson, shown above with his owner, David Hayes (right) and Raffaldini.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Kindred, from chef Joe Kindred and his wife and co-owner, Katy, is scheduled to open Feb. 17, with what they're describing as "chef-driven American cuisine": Expect seasonal fare, global influence, Southern tradition and both modern and classic techniques in food and drink. (That's tortelloni with celery root, Gruyere and black truffle above.) Chef Kindred was most recently with Roosters in Charlotte, and the restaurant is in the restored Tom Clark museum/town pharmacy at 131 N. Main St.

The Ritz-Carlton's Bar Cocoa will do a Valentine's pop-up at the Urban Garden 2-6 p.m. Feb. 12-13, offering lots of Norman Love chocolates (above) and more. Also at the Ritz: BLT Steak will be open both on Valentine's Day and from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 15, with a regular menu and a Valentine's one, that's offered both a la carte or as a prix fixe for $60. That includes Maine lobster risotto; peppercorn-crusted New York strip with trumpet mushrooms and foie gras; side of orzo and crab gratin; and dark chocolate bombe with raspberries. 110 N. College St. in the Ritz-Carlton; reservations: 704-972-4380.

From 1-9:30 p.m. Valentine's Day, Kabuto's Lake Norman will have combination hibachi specials, with two glasses of house wine or Champagne and a dessert to take home, for $59.90-$69.90 per couple. 704-655-0077.

Bonefish Grill will offer meals for couples for $29.90 a person after 4 p.m. Feb. 9-15, with surf and turf and shellfish-stuffed sea bass among the options. Multiple locations: www.bonefishgrill.com.

D'Vine Wine will offer its full menu plus specials Feb. 12-14, and there'll be special sparkling wines by the glass. Among the specials, all small plates: grilled watermelon with barbecued shrimp and mixed greens; roasted garlic and truffle white bean hummus; turkey burger on honey-pumpkin roll; and seared tuna with soba noodles and edamame. Reservations will be taken by phone only, at 704-369-5050. 14815 John J. Delaney Drive.

Have you been (or are you still, or do you plan to be) procrastinating about Valentine’s Day dining? The Capital Grille anticipates your pain, and is doing a “#ReservationRescue” dinner giveaway on Facebook Feb. 11-12. Enter it and one winning couple will get a 6 p.m. reservation for two on Valentine’s Day, and $150 worth of dinner. You’ll need to go to its Facebook page at facebook.com/thecapitalgrille between 7 a.m. Feb. 11 and 11:59 p.m. Feb. 12 (both times are Eastern Standard) to enter. The restaurant chain will post on the page to open the contest. You’ll need to “comment with one word to describe their significant other (aka: Valentine)” – suggestion here: Don’t use that one – then “list their local TCG (the city/location).” One winner per location will be chosen at random; they’ll be contacted on Facebook on Feb. 13 and will have four hours to accept, or they forfeit and someone else is chosen. More rules, etc.: www.thecapitalgrille.com/support/terms.

Passion8 offers three Valentine variations: A 5 p.m. seating with three courses for $45, a 7 p.m. seating with four courses for $65, and a 9:30 p.m. seating with five courses for $85. A photographer and props provider will be at the restaurant, to arrange and record the evening; images are free for customers. Actually, there are four variations, if you count the next day’s Sunday brunch: live music and the Bloody Mary bar. There'll also be a three-course, $30 brunch Feb. 15. 704-910-3161; 1523 Elizabeth Ave.; www.thepassion8.com.

Del Frisco's will offer an 8-ounce filet and 8-ounce lobster tail for $79 Feb. 13-15. There'll also be a full menu on Feb. 13, a limited one on Feb. 14, and on Feb. 15, the Prime Pair menu will be added to the lineup, as usual on Sunday nights: choice of salad, filet paired with crab cake or barbecue spiced shrimp or lemon garlic scallops, plus a side. (That's $55.) 4725 Piedmont Row Drive; 704-552-5502.

The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority named The King's Kitchen its restaurant of the year.

Foxcroft Wine Co. will do a Ceretto Winery dinner Feb. 17, with the winery's Andrea Pace on hand, and a menu of traditional Piemontese cuisine: vitello tonnato with 2013 Langhe Arneis Blange, wild mushroom tagliatelle with truffle oil and 2012 Dolcetto D'Alba Rossana, rabbit roulade with 2009 Barbaresco Bricco Asili, osso buco with 2009 Barolo Brunate, and torta di nocciole with 2013 Moscato d' Asti. $75; 704-365-6550; 7824 Fairview Road; www.foxcroftwine.com. (And if you're not on this email list, you should be: Dinners like this are described beautifully, with evocative history on wineries and their leaders.)

Monday, February 2, 2015

Bean Vegan Cuisine plans to open a second location in Asheville this spring, "if not sooner," says the restaurant's Charlie Foesch. The new place will be in south Asheville, at 2145 Hendersonville Road. "The restaurant god were smiling on us," he says, and the only thing that needs to be brought in is vegan equipment (as in, equipment that hasn't been used in non-vegan food preparation). The location is near new shopping and the airport, as well, says Foesch, "which is good for us; we get a lot of travelers." Expect an identical menu to Charlotte's (where some dishes, such as the cowboy burger and fishless filet, are moving soon from the specials list to the permanent menu). Expect, too, a third location in either Raleigh or Durham, he says: "The Triangle Vegan Society has been lobbying for us to open ... and I think that's part of our vegan conquest." The plan had been to follow the addition of the grocery store element in Charlotte with a place in Asheville, then in Raleigh or Durham. He says that decision hasn't been made, but Durham appears to be favored.

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About this blog

Tapas to tacos, foie gras to fries, Helen Schwab has written about food in and around Charlotte for more than 20 years. Her related experience includes traveling (pizza in Naples to pizza in New York), waitressing (she understands about tipping from both sides), journalism (a B.S. from Northwestern University), and cooking at home, the less said about which the better.